


Untitled 02

by orphan_account



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Best Friends, Light Angst, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 14:20:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13549152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "It's just you, okay? It's just you."





	Untitled 02

It started off as ironic, that was one thing Josh was absolutely sure of. 

Being a fairly masculine guy, showing skinship with his best friend was something he’d never thought twice about. During interviews, Tyler would rest his hand on Josh’s shoulder or knee, and during concerts, the pianist would smack Josh’s bottom, playfully, or plant a kiss on his bare shoulder. There was nothing strange about it as far as Josh was concerned.

Tyler was depressed, so Josh offered his bed whenever his best friend was having an episode. They huddled together, Josh for warmth, Tyler for security. 

It started off as ironic, kisses, anyway.

As Tyler was heading out one day, he waltzed up to Josh, and pecked him lightly on the corner of his mouth. Trying not to stare at the dazed look that resonated on his best friend’s face, Tyler bid him farewell, and didn't return for five hours.

It became a regular thing.

Josh would leave, but not before pecking Tyler lightly on the lips and vice versa. It was never talked about or questioned.

So here the duo sat, on a late night talk show, the host pushing out question after question. 

Tyler always detested interviews. They were the same questions, different day. He liked that Josh would answer the longer ones; it drained him so much to have to act like he was present all the time. 

“So,” the host began, “we gathered up some questions from the fans! And let me tell you, they had some interesting asks!” Josh grinned, as Tyler stared, almost glaring, at his drummer.

“Awesome!” the punk exclaimed, fixing his backwards snapback.

“First one: Shelby wants to know how much skinship you boys share off screen!”

Josh gulped, and Tyler looked up, intrigued.

“Skinship?” the drummer mumbled, looking to Tyler.

“Tons,” the singer grinned, cheekily, sitting back in his seat. “Josh and I even kiss each other before going on stage.” 

The host laughed and Josh joined in. Tyler frowned.

“Is that so? Is he a good kisser?” the interviewer asked Josh.

“Absolutely,” Josh ‘joked’. Now Tyler was a little pissed. “It’s all ironic, I mean, we both have girlfriends.”

“Had,” Tyler interrupted. “I dumped Jenna last week, remember?”

Both the host and Josh stared at Tyler. 

 

“What the heck was that?” Josh demanded as he followed Tyler into their dressing room.

“What do you mean, Jish?” Tyler yawned, nonchalantly.

“What you did out there was not cool. You shoulda told me what you were gonna say, so I could play it off right.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tyler said, brushing Josh’s words off.

“I hate it when you're like this. Now I gotta call Debby and let her know you were just joking,” Josh sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. 

“Dump her,” Tyler offered, sounding almost bored as he took a seat on the plush loveseat that was in the dressing room.

“What? I love her.”

“I loved Jenna.”

“Yeah. _Loved_. I _love_ Debby.”

Tyler chewed on that for a moment.

“True,” he gave in as Josh walked over to the mini fridge.

“Want a water?” he asked his friend.

“A redbull, please.”

Josh hummed in affirmation and pulled out the can of liquid poison before walking it over to his friend. Taking a seat next to the worn out singer, he handed over the drink.

“Thanks, Jish.”

“Yeah.” Josh watched Tyler as he popped open the can and took a large gulp. His gaze was locked on how Tyler’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

“You're staring,” Tyler commented.

“Sorry,” Josh coughed, looking away. Sighing, Tyler set his drink down on the glass coffee table that was in front of him and leaned up against Josh.

“Dude?” the drummer questioned, an eyebrow raised.

“You’re warm and soft,” Tyler answered, his eyes fluttering closed.

“You don’t, uh…?”

“What, Josh?” 

Josh bit his cheek.

“Do you like me?”

The pianist hummed, lazily.

“‘Course.”

“Oh.”

“Debby is so lucky,” Tyler sighed, sadness hinting at his voice. “S’not fair.”

“I'm sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

* * *

“I’m not gay,” Tyler told Josh out of the blue. They were backstage before one of their hometown performances and the two hadn't spoken much the past month. Of course they hadn’t.

“Uh, that’s…” Josh mumbled, at a loss for words.

“It’s just you, okay? It’s just you.”

“Okay, man. Just me.”

 

The show was amazing and with everything that was going on, it felt good for Tyler to escape into the sea of people. So naturally, when the show was over, his whole world came crashing down. Debby came to this particular show to surprise Josh and greeted them after their final bows.

“Josh! Tyler! The show was fantastic!” The drummer grinned as she pressed a kiss to his cheek, but didn't put his arms around her. He was not going to actively hurt his best friend. And he hadn't told his girlfriend about Tyler’s confession. That was his brother and he had his back first. He wanted to have his back first.

“I saw you in the crowd! Your eyes were on Ty the entire time,” Josh pouted, playfully.

“Of course. He’s all over the place, so how could they not be.”

Tyler shot her a small, half-assed smile. She couldn’t even watch her boyfriend play? It was incredibly irritating. 

“So,” Debby began. “Wanna grab dinner, babe?”

“Yeah!” he exclaimed, though he looked terribly exhausted from the show. She would have noticed if she'd watched how hard he had hit those drums.

“You’re welcome to come with us, Tyler,” the actress smiled, running her hand through Josh’s yellow hair. 

“Uh, I’ll pass. M’not feeling so hot.”

He bid Debby and Josh farewell. He needed some time alone to cry.

 

As Tyler slammed the door of his hotel room, he felt his face flush. Whether it was embarrassment from watching Josh be so in love with Debby or just the hurt of it all he did not know. Tyler felt unloved. 

Tears slid down his face as he replayed the image of Josh smiling at Debby. Man, the rejection sure hurt. Normally, he could put the fact that Josh loved her behind him since he rarely saw them together due to the long distance. Tonight, however, was a huge wakeup call. 

Josh did not have room in his heart for his fellow bandmate.

Tyler laid down so his back was flat against the plush mattress as he sobbed to the ceiling. His heart was as heavy as lead and his ears were starting to hurt.

“Tyler?” he heard a voice callout.

His crying subsided and his breathing stilled. Josh was supposed to be at dinner. So why the heck was he standing at the edge of Tyler’s bed? The pianist regretted giving him a key card.

“Wha-what’re you doing, Josh?” Tyler sniffled, throwing his arm over his eyes.

“Are you crying?”

“I’m not.”

“Yeah, you are.”

“Doesn’t even matter,” Tyler wept. “You don’t return my feelings.”

“Ty…” Josh mumbled, sitting next to his friend. “I do love you.”

“Not like how I love you,” Tyler sighed, dejectedly, propping himself up on his elbows. “I want to like, hold you and stuff… And do everything we do already… But I don't want you to date her. I want you to love me. I want you to try and love me.” Those last words sent Tyler into another crying fit.

Josh spoke after letting Tyler get it all out. 

“Debby broke up with me,” Josh admitted, bitterness coating his words. “Said it’s ridiculous that I wanted to check on you before we left.”

“She’s not wrong,” Tyler chuckled, humorlessly, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. The mattress felt cold like he did.

“She’s not right, either,” Josh mused. “I knew you wanted to cry the moment you saw her. I wasn’t going to let you cry alone.”

“You can’t say things like that to me, Josh. I'm confused enough as it is.”

There was a brief pause before Tyler groaned, his hands covering his face.

“So… you want to date me?” Josh asked, incredulously.

“Most people want to date the ones they have feelings for,” Tyler joked, bitterly. “I want to kiss you,” he continued, knowing Josh wanted him to get it all out and in the open. “Like really kiss you. I want to tell you how pretty you look when you hit those drums and your heart and soul pours out onto the stage. I want to be the person you call just because.  I want to give you my life, Josh; more of it if it’s even possible. I want you to look at me and see what I see when I look at you because, man… I love you.”

Tyler had only seen Josh cry once before, and that was the night they signed to their label.

The drummer’s eyes were brimming with tears as he looked up to the ceiling, trying not to let them fall.

“Jeez, Tyler… You shoulda told me you felt this way, I would have… I…”

“What?” Tyler snorted. “What could you have possibly done?”

Josh laid down on his side, staring at Tyler’s face. The slope of his nose was incredible and his weak chin and jaw were coated in stubble.

“Tried to love you sooner.” Josh rested his hand on Tyler's stomach as he began to rub light circles against him.

“What’re you doing?” the singer gasped as Josh’s hand slipped under his shirt. He shivered at Josh’s cool touch.

“Feeling you,” the yellow-haired man mumbled, hovering over Tyler’s face.

His hand glided over one of Tyler’s nipples and the latter bit down on his tongue. Josh rested his hand on Tyler’s heart, his eyes widening at how fast his friend’s heart was beating.

“Gosh…” the drummer whispered, gulping loudly. A fire ignited in his heart as he watched Tyler squirm beneath him. 

“I know,” Tyler groaned, shifting uncomfortably under the older man’s grip.

“I mean… wow, just… _wow_.”

“You don’t have to say it, Josh,” Tyler spat, silently cursing his heart for outting him like that.

“You _really_ love me, huh?” The pianist nodded, his face flushed.

Tyler peered up at Josh, his heart beating so fast that it drowned out any other sounds. The punk ran his fingers through Tyler’s fluffy brown hair before pressing a chaste kiss to Tyler’s temple.

The younger man whimpered at the contact. 

“Can you stay with me tonight?” 

“Sure thing, dude.”

Josh wrapped his arms around his boy. He didn't know how it would work, but it was him and Tyler, so he knew it would. Because everything Tyler had said had ignited a flame in Josh’s heart. It was love. It had to be.

**Author's Note:**

> hang out with me on tumblr @odetoslut


End file.
